Category Archives: Home Baking

Apple Cider Bundt Cake

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Makes 1

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 cups apple cider
  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup Red Fife flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice mix
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature

Coating

  • 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baobab fruit powder (optional)

Method

  1. Add the apple cider to a medium pan, and over a medium heat boil to reduce to 1/3 cup quantity. Remove from heat and allow to cool
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  3. Prepare a 12-cup bundt pan by liberally spraying with baking spray, or generously grease with butter and flour. Pay special attention to all those crevices and folds
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt
  5. In separate bowl, whisk together sugar, cooled cider concentrate , oil, applesauce, vanilla, and eggs
  6. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; whisk until combined, making sure there are no flour pockets
  7. Transfer batter to prepared pan, and bake for 45- 50 minutes, until a tester inserted in center comes out clean
  8. Transfer pan to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet; let cool 15 minutes
  9. While the cake cools make the coating. Mix together remaining sugar, cinnamon and Baobab fruit powder
  10. After 15 minutes, turn the cake out onto a cooling rack set over some baking parchment
  11. Brush with melted butter, then sprinkle liberally with the sugar coating. Let cool completely before serving

Apple Fritters

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Makes 8

Ingredients

Apple Fritters

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons applesauce
  • 2 large Granny Smith apples or Honey Crisp apples peeled, cored and diced

Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Baobab Fruit Powder (optional)
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

  1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add 1/3 cup milk, eggs and applesauce. Stir just to combine. Fold in apples
  2. Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in heavy skillet, Dutch oven or deep fryer to 375F degrees
  3. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter per fritter into hot oil; spreading it out as you drop
  4. Cook each side until golden brown; approximately 2-3 minutes per side
  5. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a cooling rack set over some paper towels to drain
  6. While the fritters cool, whisk together 1/4 cup milk, Baobab fruit powder, powdered sugar and vanilla. Dunk each fritters in the glaze to coat.  Place on wire racks to drip and air dry

Freezing & Reheating

If you’re making your fritters for later, they keep really well in the freezer compartment. Freeze for up to 2 month for best taste. You’ll need to remember not to glaze them though! Allow your unglazed fritters to cool completely before wrapping individually in cling wrap, popping in freezer bags and storing in your freezer.

The best way to thaw frozen apple fritters is to remove them from the freezer, unwrap them and place them into the fridge. It is best to leave them overnight to ensure they thaw all the way through.

If they have not thawed all the way through by the time you want to eat them, you could leave them out on the counter for up to an hour to speed up that process. 

To reheat, and to ensure you get a nice crisp apple fritter, you can either use a toaster oven or a conventional oven. Place the thawed fritters on a baking tray and reheat them at 375F for 5 minutes.

Once they’re reheated you can glaze them as Step 2 above.

Air Fryer Apple Pies

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Makes 8

Ingredients

  • 3 cups peeled apples, diced
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 and 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 8 egg roll wrappers
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoon sugar

Method

  1. Preheat air fryer to 400°.
  2. In a small bowl, combine apples, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and cornstarch and mix well
  3. With a corner of an egg roll wrapper facing you, spread 1 scant tablespoon cream cheese to within 1 in. of edges.
  4. Place 2-3 tablespoons apple mixture just below center of wrapper
  5. Fold bottom corner over filling; moisten remaining wrapper edges with water. Fold side corners toward center over filling. Roll egg roll up tightly, pressing at tip to seal. Repeat with remaining egg roll wrappers
  6. In batches, arrange egg rolls in a single layer on greased tray in air-fryer basket; spritz with cooking spray (I usally do mine in 2 batches of 4)
  7. Cook until golden brown, 5 minutes. Turn; spritz with cooking spray. Cook until golden brown and crisp, usually another 5 minutes.
  8. On a separate plate, combine sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon; roll hot egg rolls in mixture to coat (using a tongs help!)
  9. Serve and enjoy! (Leave to rest for about 5 minutes as the internal filling can be quite hot!)

*If you’re upscaling this recipe for more than 8 apple pies, I’ve found it best to make and cook 8 at a time. Any more and you risk letting the ones sit uncooked becoming soggy

**Cooked apple pies can be quickly reheated in your air-fryer preheated at 350F for 3 minutes

    Dead Man’s Fingers

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    What’s Halloween without a little treat from the Other World, huh? These delightfully dreadful cookies are a wonderful treat to have lying around at any festively freakish gathering. A spin on traditional sugar cookies, they really do look more than the sum of their parts. They’re also easy enough that you can rope in some ghoulish little helpers for the fun.

    A point to note that like all sugar cookies, you want to avoid baking them to the usual cookie state of “golden brown”- this will result in them being a tad too hard for enjoyment. Bake them for the time required below, or until hte edges are just starting to turn a light golden brown. The cookies may look under-baked but trust me here- they will taste so much better!

    Makes apx 24 (depending on size)

    Ingredients

    Graveyard Dirt

    • ¼ cup butter; melted
    • 1 Cup granulated sugar
    • 1 Cup cocoa powder
    • ½ pinch salt
    • slivered almonds; chopped walnut; shaved dark chocolate; shaved milk chocolate (Optional)

    Fingers Cookies

    • 2 cups All Purpose Flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
    • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 large egg, at room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 28 large, flaked almonds
    • ½ cup smooth, raspberry jam
    • 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

    Method

    Graveyard Dirt

    1. Melt butter in the microwave in a small glass or ceramic bowl (microwave safe) and allow to cool to room temperature
    2. In a large mixing bowl, blend the sugar, salt, and cocoa powder until thoroughly mixed
    3. While whisking, slowly add the melted butter and continue mixing gently until blended, but dry
    4. Using a fork, continue mixing until it looks like dark soil
    5. At this stage mix in the chopped nuts to give the soil texture
    6. Spoon the “dirt” on to your serving plate or tray, ready for your finger cookies

    Fingers Cookies

    1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a cookie sheet with baking spray or line with a silicone mat, or baking parchment. Set aside until needed
    2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside until needed
    3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed, about 10 minutes
    4. Add in the egg, vanilla and mix until well combined and smooth.
    5. Gradually beat in the dry flour mixture, ¼ cup at a time until a dough forms
    6. Remove the bowl and using about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll the dough between your palms into 5-inch-long fingers about 1/2-inch thick. Firmly press a sliced almond into the end of each finger to make fingernails
    7. Make several horizontal cuts, about 1/4 inch deep, in the center of each finger to make mimic skin folds at the knuckles. Gently press the dough on either side of the cuts to shape the knuckles
    8. Arrange the fingers on the prepared baking sheet and bake until light golden, 16 to 18 minutes
    9. Transfer the fingers to a wire rack and cool completely
    10. While the cookies cool, in a small saucepan, combine the jam, corn syrup and heat over low heat until warm, about 2 minutes, stirring gently
    11. Dip the blunt ends of the fingers in the warm jam and arrange on a plate of the graveyard dirt for serving

    Pouding Chomeur

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    Placeholder image

    Makes 4 individual portions, or one 8″ x 8″ large portion

    Ingredients

    Cake

    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
    • 1 pinch salt
    • ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
    • ½ cup milk

    Sauce

    • 1 cup maple syrup
    • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
    • ½ cup water
    • ¼ cup unsalted butter
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract

    Method

    Cake

    1. Preheat the oven to 350º. Lightly grease 4 individual (0.25L) mini-cocottes, ramekins or other ovenproof dishes and place them onto a baking tray
    2. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until a rough, crumbly mixture – similar to thick breadcrumbs, or damp sand, is achieved
    3. Add the milk, and stir just until the mixture comes together
    4. Spoon this into the prepared smaller baking dishes. Set aside while you prepare the sauce

    Sauce

    1. Combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, water, butter, and vanilla in a pan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally
    2. Once it reaches a rolling boil, remove it from the heat and ladle this over the cake in the ramekins
    3. Bake the puddings for about 30 minutes, until a tester inserted into the centre of a pudding comes out almost clean
    4. Remove from the oven and let the puddings cool for about 15 minutes before serving (be careful syrup is hot!)
    5. Serve and enjoy